


Will He Remember My Eyes at All?

by pok3d3x



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Amnesia, Breath of the Wild Spoilers, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Finding Purpose, Hurt/Comfort, Maybe - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Breath of the Wild, Post-Calamity Ganon, Post-Canon, Post-Game(s), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow Burn, Spoilers, but a little more defined, heavy spoilers, many characters passing by, very slow burn, what now, zelink
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-11-19
Packaged: 2021-01-05 01:32:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21205811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pok3d3x/pseuds/pok3d3x
Summary: "Do you truly remember me?"Link's eyes, colors still swirling in patterns before them from the too bright light of Hylia, closed in on the hopeful way Zelda clasped her hands to her chest.They were both weary, breath ragged and limbs shaking from battle. The last thing he wanted to do was disappoint her, but the best he could say—the best he coulddo—was give a timid shrug.Heavy spoilers for the entire game of Breath of the Wild, not just the ending.





	1. A Breath of Fresh Air

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is assuming the canon is similar to my playthrough. That is to say, I wasn't particularly good at the game… blew myself up with with my sheikah slate, only found like half the memories, and barely made it to 80 shrines by flying for hours with my shrine sensor on constantly, but I did get the help of all the divine beasts, muddled my way through most of Kass's riddles, found easter eggs like the sakura tree at the top of Satori Mountain, and got the thunderhelm, etc.

"Do you truly remember me?" 

Link's eyes, colors still swirling in patterns before them from the too bright light of Hylia, closed in on the hopeful way Zelda clasped her hands to her chest. 

They were both weary, breath ragged and limbs shaking from battle. The last thing he wanted to do was disappoint her, but the best he could say—the best he could _do_—was give a timid shrug. 

He'd been too busy hunting down his next shrine, hunting down his next meal, avoiding being hunted by the Yiga… Some scenes had been reawakened by his travels, but as many of them included Zelda as not. 

"Oh, Link," she said softly. "It's okay." she beckoned him with open arms, and he staggered over, hooking his fingers in the eye sockets of skull he wore and peeling it off to reveal matted hair and a cut on his brow that probably needed stitches.

His troubled brow clearly painted his uncertainty. He was her guard, right? He had been a dignified royal guard assigned a great honor of protecting the daughter of the king? That was a different life, and his cheeks burned as he felt he was lacking in the decorum needed for such a role. Link looked to her with searching eyes, hoping she might reveal what he was supposed to do in this circumstance.

He'd heard tales of the beauty of Princess Zelda of course, but they and his fuzzy memories didn't do her justice. Link came to a halt, unsure if he'd keel over right there, as he neared his princess and kept his gaze to her feet. His body protested as he tried to gracefully take a knee before her, battle-worn muscles giving out at the last second so he fell to the scorched ground and had to rely on his royal shield he'd scavenged from the castle ruins to keep himself from eating dirt. 

"You don't need to…" Her voice broke for a series of violent coughs. "Rise, Link. Let us find a warm meal and safe place to sleep." It was the middle of the day, but she hadn't slept in one hundred years. 

She closed the distance between them so she could help him to his feet. Gritty war paint clung to his sweaty form and she grimaced at the slick, almost muddy, feeling beneath her fingers. He could barely stand with her support though, so she did her best to stay her shaking hands and lift him up, murmuring that it was okay for him to sink into her half embrace. 

The horse Link had rode in battle came trotting over with a short whistle, and it brought a smile to her weary face that he'd trained his current horse the same pattern he had used all those many years ago. Reminiscing of their riding days together hadn't prepared her to see the horse of her memories in the flesh. 

"My horse!" the beautiful white horse was even dressed in the royal purple bridle and saddle of her family. "He couldn't have…" 

Link was able to stand on his own two feet as he grabbed the horn of the saddle for balance. He had an apple readied at his belt for the stallion, who eagerly plucked it from his outstretched hand. He still had a way with animals, and Zelda's smile came back as she watched his compassion in treating the horse after a hard battle. He was still the same man as he'd always been, and that was a gift after the century of strife she'd witnessed.

"I see, an ancestor of my horse," she said, after he made eye contact with her. "I love the flowers you wove into his mane." Her petite hand brushed through the mane of the horse, and while the shy creature let her, it was clear she didn't have the natural charm over animals that Link did. He was patting the horse's withers soothingly, but stopped to tentatively hand her an apple.

"Oh, thank you." 

He smiled before averting his gaze to his horse once more, finding it easier to hold his silent conversation with the beast he'd been with through so much than with the woman he'd forgotten. He furtively watched as the princess fed Robin, enjoying the truly gentle smile that graced her features. She was just as tired as he was, he suspected, but her royal decorum hid it better. A brief curiosity played in his mind as to whether he'd once held a more exalted air himself.

Reminded of his duties to royalty—or rather what he imagined they should be—he cleared his throat and cupped his hands at knee height to assist the princess in mounting. She accepted the hand up gratefully with her current attire. Had she been wearing her riding clothes, Zelda would have scoffed and mounted the horse in one graceful jump, but she currently wore a threadbare ceremonial dress that had never been designed with horseback riding in mind.

She tucked her dress beneath her knees the best she could to preserve modesty and looked down to Link who rummaging through the horse's side pack intently. "What are you looking for?" Zelda received her answer in the form of Link idly pointing to the sky, and she looked to the horizon, she could see a thunderstorm was brewing. An involuntary shiver passed through her as she thought of weathering a storm in such a light dress. When she looked back to Link, he was holding a warm doublet out to her, which she quickly accepted. He donned a coat of Rito design himself, carefully wrapping the thin leathers and furs he'd worn in battle in an almost reverent way.

As he always had been, he was one step ahead of her in anticipating her needs. It seemed even without the memory of his royal guard training he was determined to serve her well. She wanted to let him know he could relax—he _should_ relax—after such a treacherous battle with malice incarnate, but she knew such requests would be respectfully ignored, so she settled for showing her appreciation with a warm smile

"Are we going far?" Zelda didn't know what still stood after a century of her absence, where would make sense to hide out and heal after the arduous fight. He shook his head before mounting behind her and taking the reins, urging Robin to canter to the nearest road. 

His mind slowly went blank as he subconsciously directed Robin around guardians that were no longer threats and camps of bokoblins that no longer existed, and before long, the exhaustion of battle got the better of him. As his eyes drooped, he slowly rested his forehead against the long, blond hair in front of him, and lulled by the gentle gait of his horse beneath him, fell asleep.

Zelda laughed lightly as she felt him doze against her in a fashion at odds with the stiff respect he'd been trying to enact. "You can rest once more, Link," she whispered. "I can get us to the nearest town." She took the reins and reassured the horse that they were okay, and the two saviors of Hyrule continued their ride for shelter.

Castle Town being nearly unrecognizable hadn't been too much of a shock despite how much it made her chest hurt. It was so close to the fight she'd been trying to rein in for a century, she hadn't been able to hinder every errant beam of malicious energy. That Gannon's reach had so thoroughly decimated as far as the Lon Lon Ranch and Goponga Village… 

Zelda's knuckles had long since whitened as she held onto the reins with trembling hands. Familiar mountains came into view at long last, with traditional Sheikah amulets of protection hung up to reassure Zelda Kakariko Village had survived the Calamity. She mentally chided herself at this thought. _Of course_ Kakariko had survived. Impa could see her town through any threat.

Dread bit through the calm she'd been striving to keep as she thought, _a century is a long time to expect someone to survive._ Impa very well may have joined her father by now. She felt this wasn't the case. Her connection to Hyrule had aged in mysterious ways that allowed her to see some things so clearly while being clueless of others, and she had an inkling that Impa was yet alive, along with Purah and Robbie. 

She was a protector first and foremost, and a researcher at heart. Until she could see it with her own eyes, she couldn't say it with certainty.

Zelda almost screamed as a hand clasped her shoulder. Taking a second to remember that Link was sat behind her, Zelda's panic warmed to relief. "Oh, I'm sorry if I woke you," she hastily excused, realizing she'd stopped the horse suddenly in her rumination.

Link squeezed her shoulder supportively, and she donned a fake smile and tone of ease as she assured," It's nothing. I'm tired as well. Let's head into town."

He seemed to accept this without objection and hopped down so he could lead Robin and allow his princess to sit side saddle as they entered town. Zelda's eyes lifted to the rising moon, it finally sinking in that this had been her first day in the sunlight in over a century, and that it was already fading to moonlight before she could appreciate the warmth of the sun's rays on her skin.

"Kakariko looks like I've been gone a week," she mused quietly, looking around at the hanging flags bearing the sheikah symbol and the lines of frog statues. Hope welled in her chest. Life went on, even in her absence.

Townspeople gathered at their doors and peaked out of their business's windows as Link lead the princess to Impa's imposing house. He didn't let himself squirm under the hushed excitement burgeoning in the town as people began to realize that their princess had been returned, by the Hero of Hyrule, of course. He could do without the attention, though he reasoned there was little he could do about it, and continued to lead Robin until coming to a stop before Cado and Dorian.

Eyes lingering on Dorian for a moment too long, Link approved Zelda's safety to dismount and offered a hand to help her down. As she placed her wait down, Link almost buckled from the strain, only now realizing with the adrenaline fully worn off and a long day of riding behind them that he had at the very least sprained his ribs in one of his harsh falls as he'd favored getting a last shot off instead of resuming his paragliding.

Zelda's hands were quickly around him, unwilling to let him fall, but pain and exhaustion had caught up with him. The last thing he saw before blacking out was the guards rushing in to help her hold him up.


	2. Side Quest: Well Earned Rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waking up the next day to an inbox of kudos after posting in a new fandom might be one of the most rewarding feelings as an author. Thank you, everyone!
> 
> Also, full disclosure. I'm sorry if I mess up names of anything. I play LoZ games in Japanese, so I try to remember to go back and check things, but sometimes I forget. Most of them are same, and the other's make sense like Lurelin being Uotori-mura (Watery Village), but I want to keep consistent while making sense to my target audience of English speakers.

Link woke up feeling like he'd been a bokoblin camp's pigskin for a couple nights straight, and it took a few minutes to sort his memory on how he'd gotten his injuries.

"Master Link," a familiar voice said in surprise, and as Link opened his eyes, he confirmed it was Paya. "I-I'm s-sorry to be attending to your injuries while you're in such a vulnerable condition."

All of his skin felt sunburned from the last blast of dark magic shed from Ganon's final form, and Link idly noted Paya was applying some sheikah ointment to his bare chest. That was of little concern to him right now. "Zelda?" His voice was rough and croaking from his ferocious yells during combat.

"She's being seen to by grandmother. You both suffered quite extensive injuries."

Worry creased his brow.

"Not to worry though, of course. You're safe now. You can take as much time as you need to heal."

Link closed his eyes in hope that it might alleviate his growing headache. The world was a lot to take in right now. The pain, the confusion, the loss of what he would do next… Since he woke up a few months ago, life had been difficult but clear. There had been a looming threat that all other threats were just a link in the chain leading to it. He'd destroyed Ganon, saved Zelda, and now…?

"You'll feel better with rest," Paya promised softly.

"Ganon?"

"You've vanquished Calamity Ganon. He haunts Hyrule no further."

That was good, Link decided a little dazedly as he decided to follow Paya's advice and get more sleep.

⁂

Link woke again, the dead of night hanging a chill through the air even within such a fearsome abode. This time no one was seeing to his injuries, but as he pushed himself to sitting with a pained grimace, he saw Zelda was sleeping in the corner. She looked tired beyond what should be possible for a woman of her age—her apparent age.

She had fallen asleep at Paya's desk, a book left open under her hand. Forcing himself to stand, he staggered over to see what she was reading and if she was okay. Tilting his head, he looked over her shoulder and saw it was a book on agriculture, and the chapter she had open was detailing how to return soil's fertility. She must already be looking towards the future. She must already have a goal and strategy on how to complete it. 

Link looked for his clothes and found his Hylian garb sitting out folded and cleaned for him. Nodding to himself, he began to dress, covering the carefully wrapped injuries that spanned most of his midsection and legs. Zelda wasn't physically battered like he was, but he could tell she was drained just as thoroughly. He didn't have a purpose currently, but he could help her with hers.

He was sure he was able to leave whenever he wanted, but he didn't want to cause anyone concern, so he opened the window and crept down the side of the house. He couldn't run as far as he was used to as of late, having to walk to catch his breath almost halfway up the hill to Tal'oh Naeg Shrine. Hand to his chest and feeling his heart racing, he reasoned that his injuries still had a long way to heal, which was precisely what his midnight journey was to fix.

The shallow pools of clear water surrounding the Great Fairy Fountain soaked into his thin soled boots. It felt like ages since he had approached a Great Fairy Fountain in such little armor or otherwise specialized clothing. Carefully making his way up the mushroom path he looked into the depths of the font he'd long since rejuvenated.

Cotera always seemed to know when he was drawing near, and tonight was no different. She sprung from the pool with exuberance Link had only ever observed in fairies and scientists. She winked at him, and a blush immediately started crawling his cheeks to his ears.

"Oh, boy, you did it, didn't you? Sweet boy."

Link tried to smile.

"Your injuries though… they're not healing well, poor boy."

"No, it's the princess," Link insisted.

"_Precious_ boy," Cotera corrected herself, propping her chin on a bent arm and curling down to be closer to the Hero of Hyrule. "My sisters and I really can't thank you enough, you know. The roads will become safer and safer now that you have won the day, and people will come by to see our splendor once more."

Link nodded in a rushed, slightly dismissive, way and asked," Can you help her? I don't have any materials with me… but she helped save the world too!" He'd sold almost everything to the funds to buy guardian armor before dungeon crawling through Hyrule Castle.

"Of course, dear Link. We are forever in the debt of both of you." With a coy smile, she added," though it's harder to get under her skin." She winked again, and Link momentarily thought he might die in his weakened state. 

Cotera reached out her massive hand and a fairy lited upon it gingerly, their pink glow strengthening under Cotera's gaze. "Bring this little darling back to her, and kiss her—" She laughed at the way Link balked at this simple order. "—On the cheek is fine, dear."

She handed the fairy down to Link and he held his hands out for the fairy whose sudden radiance was a little painful to look at directly. The warmth emanating from the gifted fairy sent a wave of ease through him, quieting his jumbled thoughts for a few moments.

"And now for your healing, boy."

Link looked up from the fairy in his hands just in time to see Cotera lean in close, and he closed his eyes in preparation for her kiss.

He could never fully ready himself for the attention bestowed by the Great Fairies, but it had become rote at some point along his journeys and he submitted to the embarrassing displays of affection with little objection anymore.

"Oh, dear…"

Link looked up to her, his brow pulled in a confused pout. He felt better, but… 

"It's been ages since we had the energy to heal any wayward traveler," Cotera explained. "I'm afraid I'm a little out of practice. It looks like you'll need to visit my sisters if you would like more of your vitality restored, boy."

Visit the fairy fountains. Link could do that. Maybe it was his guard training he couldn't remember, or the goal driven few months being all that he _could_ remember, but having an instructional purpose made him feel better. A checklist of problems he needed to solve or a places he needed to visit brought a calm to the uncertainty of his future. 

Link nodded. "Thank you," he quietly murmured," I'll escort the princess to the fountains."

"After your kiss?"

The steady blush that had been taking over Link's composure broke out full red as Cotera laughed heartily.

"Will I still see you around?"

Link nodded mutely, embarrassment having hit critical mass.

"Well, if that's all, I think I'll return to my slumber. Thank you again, sweet boy, for all you've done for Hyrule."

Her eyes glittered with gathering tears, and she placed a manicured finger on his chest, covering the Hylian decorations with its breadth completely. Link tentatively placed his hand over her finger, feeling like a true child beneath her size and aged wisdom. "I know the weight of the world may seem even heavier now that you don't need to save it, dear. It just takes time."

Link wanted to ask _what_ took time, _what_ he had to look forward to, but as he was tongue-tied. He bowed his head in deference. The finger pulled way and his chest felt a little lighter than it had when he'd woken. The brightly colored nail pressed against his chin and raised his gaze to her own before she withdrew her hand.

"There, that's a pretty smile from my darling boy."

He realized he _was_ smiling, despite his nigh constant anxiety since beating Ganon.

"Thank you," he said, holding the energized fairy up slightly. Then after a moment's pause, he asked," Do I really need to—"

"You know by now all my stronger magic is sealed with a kiss, boy."

Throwing her arms up into the air, she sang," Bye, hun!" and sank back into her magical font.

Link tucked the fairy, who patiently folded their wings for easier transport, into his pocket and walked down the toadstool path. Nightshade glowed all around him, and despite not having a bow with him, he couldn't help scanning for the ever elusive rabbit. Seeing the blue nightshade reminded him of what else grew nearby, and he padded over to the tree behind Cotera's fountain to find some Silent Princess blossoms.

He hadn't known what the pretty flowers were when he first picked them, but after selling them in town and being told of their sentimental value to Zelda, one of the first voices he'd heard upon waking, he had refrained from selling them, collecting them in devotion to a princess he could barely remember. It had made him feel like he knew her better, or understood her at the very least. His Silent Princess flowers had been the last of his materials he'd broken down and sold while preparing to storm Hyrule Castle.

His fingers curled around a beautiful blossom, and with skill he'd picked up over the moons, he plucked it cleanly with his thumb pressed against his forefinger so a new bud could take its place sooner than later.


	3. Main Quest: Great Fairy's Blessing

Link returned, and by the panic Cado was in, decided to walk through the front door.

"Master Link!" Link turned to see Paya's worried face as she ran up to Impa's house from the Shuteye Inn "We were all so worried! Where ever have you been?"

He pointed up the hill, to the shrine he came walking from more than any other.

Paya came to a stop a few feet away, hand on her chest as she breathed raggedly. "Oh, Princess Zelda will be so relieved you are safe. We were worried that the Yiga Clan may have infiltrated and exacted their revenge."

Link awkwardly held the flower in his hand up, hoping that would explain his absence well enough.

"You should let us know before you go out while you're so wounded, Link," Paya reprimanded, though it was clear it came from a place of worry. "Oh, Master Link, I'm sorry for my rude display. We're just so happy you're okay." She covered her face as she began to blush.

He held his hands up soothingly, assuring her he wasn't offended, then pointed a thumb to Impa's home and cocked his head.

"Yes, Princess Zelda is back with grandmother. She still needs her rest."

With a small smile, Link thought of the Great Fairy's blessing he'd secured, and nodded. Then he walked up the creaky stairs to his princess he served. The sun was just beginning to rise behind him, its tentative rays beginning to warm his back more than his light cowl could manage on a cold night.

The worn door opened easily before him, and he found Impa kneeling on her zabuton, with Zelda sitting at her side, a weary expression graven on her face.

"Link!" Zelda looked up at the door's sudden opening, and relief broke her stoney mien. "We were so worr—"

He walked up calmly and took a knee before the two of them, then held out the flower he'd picked for her.

"Y-You remembered…" Her voice was soft and startled, then grew warm. "Thank you, it's lovely." She stood, though that itself seemed to be an act of labor, and took a step towards him with an outstretched hand. Her fatigued smile broke through, this small gift bringing a small resurgence of energy to her face.

Link didn't know what to say. He didn't know how he should act. He remembered… He remembered what Rola had said about the flower, but he didn't remember Zelda actually holding or looking at them. Guilt curled in his stomach. Was he misleading her? Did this mean something particular between them that he was missing the meaning of?

Zelda took the blossom graciously, then tucked it behind her ear with a soft giggle. "I'm too old for…" Her voice fell silent. She seemed to be have a private debate with herself before sighting and adding, " I want to wear flowers behind my ears. I don't think the people would object. Any trivalty that brings someone joy after such long suffering should be okay, right?"

Link found the steadfast concern for her people contesting her own happiness equally heartbreaking and enchanting as he looked up into her eyes. Then, he remembered the true point of his leaving in the middle of the night, and murmured," Before I forget…"

The fairy was more than willing to leave his pocket, and their small wings deftly unfolded with haste. Link stood and leaned in close before he could lose his nerve and planted a chaste kiss on Zelda's cheek as the Cotera had instructed. The fairy danced through the air in dizzying circles around Zelda before flickering away through the still open door to return home. 

Zelda, for her part, couldn't immediately keep up, her face showing her surprise as she began to blush. Hand to chest, her mind slowly put together what happened, but her heart was still flustered. She felt better, less weary than before, as only magic could manage on such short notice. 

"I need to take you to the other three Fairy Fountains to heal you further," Link informed her. 

Zelda had been shocked by the sudden kiss, but him speaking brought a particular brand of curiosity to her brow. Remembering that he'd read accounts of his silence from various people who'd known him a century ago, he felt dumb under her scrutiny and let his gaze fall to the floor sheepishly. 

"It's been eight score since I heard someone mention seeking the Great Fairy's healing," Impa said sagely," but it shouldn't surprise me that you of all people reawakened their power, Link." 

Both of the deceptively young people looked to their elder with inquisitive eyes. 

Clearing her throat, Impa continued," They used to heal the sick and injured, those with pure hearts, quite frequently. Their miracles faded from mortal memory over the years as they became less and less frequent. 

"Now that the Great Fairies have all been awoken, and Ganon defeated, I'm sure their healing power shall return in full vigor." 

Link nodded with understanding, waiting for Impa to ask some small or great task of him. 

"Hyrule will take time to heal from such horrors it has faced. It will take time to nurture crops on such eroded soil, and for people to rebuild and settle in Central Hyrule once more.

"You should see to it that Zelda seeks the healing of the Great Fairies while the land finds its own healing." Impa leaned in as she awaited Link's acceptance. Her wrinkled face was intense as ever, and Link wondered if anyone had ever denied her assignments and lived to tell the tale.

He nodded agreeably, then looked to his princess for confirmation she was on board. Her tightly pressed lips told him she had something to say about the matter. 

"I take it you know where the other three sisters reside?" Impa paused once more until he nodded again. "Very good. I will see to local affairs of the restoration of Central Hyrule then, while you see to her rejuvenation."

Calmly, though sharply, Zelda objected," Is it really in Hyrule's best interest for me to go on a pointless adventure? I've already been gone so long."

"My dear Zelda, surely you haven't forgotten my teachings? Patience will see you to unwavering victory. Your people need you, but you must take care of yourself first."

The young princess nodded begrudgingly. "Then it would make most sense for us to depart for the first fountain today so I can get back as soon as possible."

"If you give me an hour, I can have some useful supplies packed for you two and the journey ahead."

"Thank you, Impa," Zelda said, letting her shoulders relax. The calm was somewhat forced; she didn't want to relax, but her training kicked in and reminded her that to be calm was to see more clearly. "You are an excellent advisor as always."

"It is good to have a royal heir to advise once more. I've missed you," Impa said warmly.

Zelda turned to Link and asked,"Any idea what we should do while they pack—"

Link grabbed her hand and urged her to follow him as he headed out of the house and down the stairs.

"What—Where are we going? Link?"

He didn't answer, because he didn't truly know the answer until he looked around outside for the best location. Taking the path to a cliff facing the sunrise, Link brought Zelda to see what he thought the perfect first day back in the world should be.

"Wow," Zelda murmured breathlessly. The sun was still caught behind the horizon, coloring clouds pink and orange. "It's been so long since I've seen the sun rise." She sat, unable to break eye contact with the beautiful sight, letting her legs dangle off the side. Her breath still clouded around her as her breathing evened out to a calm that could have been mistaken for sleep if one couldn't see her open, wide eyes.

Link smiled, then sat beside her and enjoyed the sunrise in a way he hadn't let himself since he'd awoken in a shrine with no memories. Minutes passed by languidly, and Link felt he was perhaps on the cusp of understanding Cotera's promise that it would take time. He had time to craft meaning into his life beyond what he strictly needed to do. He had time to sit and watch the sun rise with a beautiful girl.

His eyes darted to the side to look at her furtively, but he found her gaze had already turned to him. He busied himself checking his boots were tied properly.

"It's okay that you don't remember me, you know. I saw how you flinched when I said you remembered my favorite flower, and… we expected you would lose your memories, but saving you was more important than saving echoes of the past."

Her hand slid through the grass towards him, and he tentatively reached for it, looking to her to confirm he was even _allowed_ to touch her highness's hand. "You don't have to worry about offending my royal sensibilities, Link. You may take my hand."

Zelda sighed contently as he finally did, letting her thumb run over his battle-scarred hand. The calluses that would logically have to all be managed in just the few months he'd been awake were impressive, thick enough that the skin appeared yellowish and perhaps painful. The little she'd been able to see from her position within Ganon's heart assured her that Link had probably swung his swords and axes more in the short time than most had swung in their entire lifetimes. He'd earned these rough hands through days under the onslaught of Ganon's terror.

"This is still the same hand after one hundred years. Your courage, you dedication—" She squeezed his hand. "—my feelings aren't hurt that you can't remember my favorite flower."

His lips pressed tight as he mulled over what he was thinking, trying to find words and—ironically, given her words—the courage to voice them. "Have I changed?"

His words left Zelda agape for moments before her decorum returned and she took on a slightly colder air in her attempt to maintain the sense of regality. He wondered if his words or their content was the more shocking display.

"Probably," Zelda finally settled on. "It's been a century of me running through my memories ad nauseum. They're bound to be distorted. And you… you don't have the same frame of reference you did then, so I'm sure… People change over time regardless, and that's not a bad thing in itself."

Her lofty words didn't quite land, and he felt further confused.

Taking in his furrowed brow and light pout, a small smile pulled at Zelda's lips and she changed tactics in her comfort. "If you have changed, that just puts on equal ground. We both can discover each other's favorite flowers."

"Blue Nightshade."

"Blue Nightshade," she echoed, her smile reaching her eyes.

"My favorite flower."

Zelda squeezed his hand once more, then resumed gazing out to the sun soaked land before them, the sun's honey rays beginning to grow too strong to look directly at. "A lovely choice," she said with a nod.

As the world woke up around her, Zelda hummed contentedly. It was an old tune her mother had sung to her, and had been the thing to assure her that Impa would make a fine teacher when the mysterious woman knew her mother's song. It was a special melody, not just in her heart, but in its history.

Link joined in, easily keeping tune and time, and Zelda thought privately that if that was the only memory he had of them getting to know each other all those years ago, that was okay.

"That's pretty," he said after they'd fallen silent, his voice hushed and properly reverent. "What is it?"

So he didn't remember her teaching to him, Zelda noted. Regardless, it brought her a little joy that the melody had stuck with him. "It's a song, um, the melody of the royal family. It's one of the only things I can remember of my mother." Her voice grew thick, and she cleared her throat as delicately as she could manage.

Link nodded, which he was becoming acutely aware of how often he did, and let his eyes wander over the nearby rockface. He didn't want to make Zelda uncomfortable and look at her when he could hear her tone grow vulnerable.

"Thank you for bringing me up here. I hadn't thought to watch the sunrise this whole week."

That made Link snap around and look her in the eyes with a raised eyebrow.

"You've been asleep for five days since the first night you woke," Zelda explained. "That fight really took a lot out of you."

Link thought a little embarrassedly that Zelda had been fighting for a century by herself and _she_ hadn't slept for five days straight. He looked down to his feet and started to twiddle his thumbs.

"Should we start back and see what Impa's packed?"

Link answered by getting to his feet, stretching his sore muscles for a moment and then offering a hand up to Zelda. The path was quiet and well trodden, easy walking compared to the boiling rock of Death Mountain or the treacherous icy cliffs of the Hebra Mountains. His attention was grabbed by a darting scamper of something small, and he let go of Zelda's hand to pounce on the lizard with practiced hands.

Zelda was looking at him like he'd grown a second hand, and Link sheepishly held up the high-tail lizard up as a form of explanation. They made great elixirs, but his speed elixirs had been the first he sold off in effort of bolstering his defense. That reminded him that rushrooms grew on these cliffs too, and he cast a brief look for them.

It was still squirming in his hands, and he awkwardly bent down to release it.

"Don't release it on my account," Zelda said, stifling laughter. "You just startled me."

He pocketed the lizard, which only weakened Zelda's ability to contain her laughter. "You're just going to walk around with a lizard in your pocket?"

He shrugged. That was pretty par for the course. He liked to keep his supplies on his horse, but if he had to leave Robin or Kumo behind to scale a mountain, his pockets worked perfectly fine. That was one of the upsides of wearing simple travel clothes rather than the streamline cut of Zora armor or the fully insulated garb of travelers in Death Mountain.

She reined back her laughter and collected herself before entering the town proper, but a giggle played at her lips when her eyes met his. He felt vaguely proud he could make the princess laugh when almost all of his recollections of her, and brief time actually talking with her, sunk in how dire her responsibilities had left her disposition.

Paya was standing with William by the guards to Impa's home. It was nice to see her outside more, now that her duties to the ancient sheikah heirloom and ganon's reign were completed. She looked over her shoulder casually as she heard approaching footsteps, then upon seeing who was drawing near, covered her face with one hand and quickly apologized," I'm sorry for not asking if it was okay to bring your horse from the pen. He seemed to trust me and I figured I should get things as ready as possible for your departure…!"

Zelda stepped closer and held a hand up to instill calm. "It's quite alright, Paya. Thank you for saddling him. He looks quite happy in your care, and we could use the assistance." Her ease at managing a situation and the involved person's concerns was admirable, and she clearly had years under her belt as a de facto leader.

"Thank you, Princess Zelda," Paya said, respectfully bowing as she came forward. "Oh! Um, grandmother packed some mushroom rice balls for you two, and a spare set of clothing for you, Princess Zelda." She patted the side satchel that presumably held these things.

"Thank you for everything, Paya. We'll be setting out…" She looked to Link briefly to confirm. "… In a matter of minutes. No sense keeping Hyrule waiting for their—" Her breath hitched, and unlike her typical careful control, her words seemed thick in her mouth. She dispelled this small hiccup with a light cough. "Excuse me, as I was saying, no sense keeping those waiting for the return of their princess."

Link noticed how her brow furrowed as she looked away for a moment before she smoothed her expression out once more. 

"Right, shall we?"

Link pointed at Robin, clearly inviting Zelda to ride. "We'll take turns," Zelda decided aloud, not wanting Link to think she lacked the constitution to be an adventurer. Placing her foot in the stirrup, she hoisted herself up in an elegant mount, which brought some shocked expressions and small expressions of admiration. 

It never failed to amuse her how surprised people were that she was a capable rider. It was pleasant in its own right to dispel the thought that she was a timid waif of some sort. She looked to her champion, and asked," Are you ready?"

He grabbed a sword from Robin's pack, then nodded.

"Alright, lead the way."

They set out east, taking the well worn path to the nearest stable. They could double up or take turns, but with fast travel not being an option for two people, the fastest way to hit each fountain was for them both to be on saddle. 

They both ate the provided rice balls quietly, enjoying the clear skies colored golden by the early morning light. Link pointed at the path they were following and nodded once with determination to insist she stay on course before peeling off to collect some stamella mushrooms. Zelda watched curiously as he picked shrooms by the trees they passed. She'd never have the confidence without her sheikah slate that she was picking an edible mushroom, but he never consulted the slate once as she passed certain mushrooms and plucked others.

She pulled gently on the reins for Robin—as Paya had informed her—to come to a stop around midday. Link looked to her curiously, and she took a play from his book and answered in the form of simply dismounting.

This didn't relax his confusion or urge him to take her place, so she rolled her eyes and used her words. "We've been walking for three or four hours. You need rest as much as I do. Take a turn at the reins?"

He didn't seem to like this request, but nodded reluctantly and sheathed his sword. Delving into Robins pack once more, he brought out a blizzard rod and held it out to her, almost insisting that she take it.

"Um, thanks. I don't really know how—"

He looked sideways and flicked his wrist in that direction, three orbs of frost erupting from the wand and causing the air to grow suddenly very cold. Zelda's teeth chattered as she took it, but her hand found a well worn handhold and she felt confident she could replicate that casual display should she have need.

It began to rain a few hours later, and Link looked up to the heavens as he started scanning for how long he thought it might last and if it would bring thunder. That thought had him reach back and pull out the Thunder Helm, holding it in one hand and buffing it with the other as he often did out of respect after relying on it for a difficult battle.

"I-is that…?"

Link looked over to Zelda, whose eyes had grown sad. "Urbosa's helmet…"

Understanding passed through Link as he thought back to the memory Riju putting on the helm had triggered. Urbosa had been a formidable ally, and her power had been critical in his success reaching Ganon, but he remembered her gently brushing the hair out of Zelda's eyes… She had been important to Zelda.

Thinking also of his promise to Riju to borrow the Thunder Helm only until Ganon was sealed once more, he knew they had to return the sacred object to the Gerudo before finishing their quest to seek the Great Fairy Fountains. He had thought they would double back once getting a second horse and seek Mija first, since she was closest being so close to Akkala Tower, but Tera was just past Gerudo Town. They could work their way back, which would leave Zelda close to Central Hyrule once they were finished.

Thunder rolled in the distance, and Link meekly held the helm to Zelda. He would feel better knowing she was out in a thunderstorm if she were protected from lightning. After having been struck a few times, he was wary of the mercurial bolts of energy that would have deep-fried him if he hadn't had Mipha's blessing at the time.

"I'm not the rightful heir of that helm, and neither are you. How do you even have it?"

He recoiled like he was bitten and placed the golden helmet in his lap and focused on the reins like Robin would ever possibly get out of control and buck him.

The rain continued to pick up until it was sheets of water that cut through any warmth that simple gear could provide. Link stowed his sword and shield as the thunder grew closer and in shorter intervals after any flash of light. He placed his forest dweller sword at his hip incase any trouble came their way, though that was seeming unlikely. They had to be drawing rather near to the stables, even if the rain cut visibility down so they couldn't see the giant horse head in the sky.

"I'm sorry," Zelda piped up through chattering teeth. "I was just surprised. Urbosa meant a lot to me. She was… She was like a mother to me after…" She sighed, which brought more shivers and futile attempts to warm herself up by rubbing her arms.

Link brought Robin to a stop and offered a hand up to Zelda. They were close enough to risk tiring their steed in a full gallop. They could spend the night and recuperate. Hopefully the storm clouds would be gone by then. Then they could set out for the long journey to return the Thunder Helm.

She took his hand and pulled herself up behind him, wrapping an arm around him to hold on tight. Zelda placed her cheek against his back, then buried her face. She had known Urbosa had fallen along with the other champions, but there hadn't been time to really think about it then. 

Zelda had been too preoccupied with triage; Link had been the only champion they could still save, and with Impa and Purah's help, they had laid him to temporary rest in the Shrine of Resurrection. Then… Then things had gone even faster. With her kingdom under siege and the whole of the world under threat, she had brought Ganon into one on one combat, and now that it was over, she couldn't fully process it all yet.

A hundred years was a lot to process, and her head hurt when she tried to recall anything specific in Ganon's manifestation of a heart. With how heavy her heart already was, she almost wished she could block it out completely. Urbosa was gone like Zelda's mother, and her father hadn't lasted long into the Calamity. She was _Queen_ of Hyrule, now.

In the dark and loud grip of a heavy thunderstorm, Zelda let herself cry for the first time in one hundred eleven years, when she had been five and her mother soothed her and said everything would be alright. She didn't remember why she had cried last, but to say it paled in comparison only made her plight more depressing. 

The last time she'd cried, she'd been a child crying over something as trivial as spilt milk. Now, she cried for all of Hyrule and its neighboring nations.

As Zelda's hand grasped the fabric of his tunic into a rumpled bunch, Link solemnly looked down and placed his own hand over hers reassuringly. He had Robin keeping a decent trot, making sure the princess had time to compose herself before they reached the stable.


	4. Side Quest: Dog Tired

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeahhhhhhh, I really wanted to participate in NaNoWriMo this year, but I started this story without even thinking about it, and I'm so in the groove that I'm not putting it down to start something new.

Link brought Robin's canter to an end as they approached Dueling Peaks Stable. Tasseren leaned over his counter to wave and called," Link! It's good to see you again. And you brought a lady friend!"

The sudden unease on Link's face must have been big enough tell for Tasseren to backstep his assumptions and ask," Two beds for you for the night and we can watch your horse? I only have one soft bed and one regular available tonight, so that will be sixty rupees."

The panic that accompanied a searching hand trying to find if he had any rupees on him cued Zelda to their current problem, and with the exception of her late blooming powers, she was good at finding solutions. Squaring her shoulders and holding her chin high, she spoke up," Sir Link, if you would help me to the ground."

Link rose one eyebrow and awkwardly dismounted and held out the requested hand. She had been rather clear she didn't expect him to keep his distance as a knight, and now she was speaking as if he were just a passing knight—it clicked in his mind, a little slowly but surely, that she was coming from an angle of her royalty to get them what they needed.

Zelda gracefully touched down on the ground despite the pain in her hips from a full day of riding. "Thank you. See to Robin, please?" Link nodded and looked to Rensa to begin to boarding Robin.

"Y-your not… You couldn't be Princess Zelda, could you?" The manager balked at their apparent guest. The fair blond hair and bright blue eyes of Princess Zelda were legendary, and her features were clearly descended from the royal line on Hylia's own blood.

Running her hands through her hair to squeeze out extra water, she laughed a little wryly and said," A little soaked through, I'm afraid, but Princess Zelda nonetheless."

Tasseren quickly removed his hat and held it to his chest and sputtered," E-excuse, Princess Zelda, for my embarrassing display. I had no idea. The storm of the Calamity had disappeared, but we didn't realize that meant you had returned." He was sweating and deferring his gaze, just a normal, working man unexpectedly being brought face to face with royalty.

"Please, relax… I'm sorry. Your name?"

"Tasseren."

"It's not to worry, Tasseren," She said with a gentle smile. "My knight has recommended this stable for its hospitality."

The man wrung his hat nervously and laughed. "You don't say. We're awful honored. My brother and I work hard to keep this establishment running in tip top condition."

"It shows," she assured him, letting her eyes pass over the quaint structure that was more canvas than wood..

It only took ten minutes of buttering him up to get them a complimentary night's stay, and with that out of the way, she could finally sit inside and start to dry off. She requested discretion, though she doubted it would last long with how excited he was to serve her however she needed. He even offered to brew new tea, but she declined. To exist outside of daily torment and insufferable pain was enough.

The thunder was passing, but it looked like it would rain the rest of the night. She sat at the lone table within the stable and poured herself some of the long sitting out tea, taking in her first common stable experience.

Zelda looked to the other customers staying the night curiously, from the eccentric man raving about the new moon that couldn't be seen to the vendor with a large backpack shaped like an insect. It would be an interesting journey if they kept staying at places like these.

That thought made her ponder how they would make money to _afford_ staying places. Sixty rupees wasn't a lot, but she honestly had zero experience acquiring money. She made a mental note to ask him about it when he got back from boarding Robin.

That mental note in turn made her wonder where he was. It didn't take that long to hand over a horse's reins to a stablehand. Zelda finished her tea, and Link still hadn't joined her. Curiosity outweighing the concern of walking back out into the rain moved her to cautiously peak her head out the inn and see where he could be.

"Link?"

"Your knight is back by the goats, I believe."

Zelda looked back to Tasseren with a skeptical look, but thanked him and headed out, one hand on the blizzard wand at her belt and one held over head in the meager attempt to keep rain out of her eyes. "Link?"

This time she saw someone stand up, previously hidden by some covered bales of hay. She smiled with a concerned brow and asked," What are you doing out here? You'll catch a cold!"

As she continued to draw near, she saw exactly what might keep her knight out in the rain. He always had loved animals, and that hadn't changed. The retriever was on their back, tail flailing wildly, and Link sank back down to resume belly rubs.

"I should have known you'd find the stable's herding dog," Zelda said with a laugh. She came closer, though didn't drop down to give the dog a pet. She didn't want to smell like wet dog for the rest of their journey. "But we should go to bed if we want to set off early in the morning."

Link made an exaggerated display of ignoring the last sentence and playing with his new best friend. Zelda backed up against the stable's outer walls, hoping for some relief from the rain, but enjoying the silly antics of her knight too much to head back inside. Even before the champions fell, Link had never been able to act so freely.

Quiet days of watching her study let him idly tend to his horse or sit calmly with a dog, but his duties and training had weighed so heavily on him. The man before her was living in the moment and happy. So was the dog, Zelda noted as her heart melted at their cute floundering as Link began to play wrestle, letting himself be pinned under the black and tan dog.

"We can bring him inside at least," she suggested.

Link shook his head regrettably, implying he'd already asked before, and Zelda rolled her eyes but crossed her arms to keep warm and got comfortable.

She watched for a couple of minutes, laughing at Link's over the top poses of surrender and the look of utter confusion the dog assumed whenever Link picked them up. Her mirth hiccuped as the dog began to whimper, pulling back with a tucked tail and shamed dip of the head. "Link?"

Link had collapsed playfully, but he wasn't getting up. "A-are you okay?" Zelda tentatively knelt beside him, then even more timidly placed a hand on his shoulder. Looking over to the dog who now laid down with their head between their front paws, she awkwardly assured the dog," It's okay. He's fine."

This didn't seem to relieve the dog's anxiety any, and Zelda couldn't blame the animal; she wasn't reassuring herself either.

"Please, Link…" She shook his shoulder which made him hiss through his teeth in pain. That was something at least, some sort of reaction that told her he was conscious. "Sorry," she mumbled, withdrawing her hand.

Link managed to push himself up to his hands, shaky as they were, and shook his head. He'd just been suddenly overwhelmed with pain and it had felt like he couldn't breathe. Looking to the side and seeing his furry friend with a full display of shame, Link hummed sorrowfully and reached a hand to scritch behind his ears, hoping to impart that the dog had done nothing wrong. The dog licked his hand, eager to show he cared.

"Is it you injuries? We should tend to them."

Link shook his head, then regretted it as the world swirled around him. He reached out for her, but passed through air and almost lost his balance and fell back to the ground. Her hands steadied him, one arm wrapped around his back and the other pressing against his chest.

"Can you stand?"

Link didn't immediately respond, honestly a little unsure, but then took a deep breath that made his chest hurt and nodded affirmatively. With her help, he was able to stand, but he listed heavily and pulled them both to the stable's wall to lean on it.

She rubbed his back, brow furrowed with concern. She couldn't lift him herself should he faint on the way. "Should I go get someone?"

Link held up one hand as he hid his face in the crook of his bent arm pressed to the wall. He just needed a moment for his head to clear.

"You're not alone, Link. I'm sorry I couldn't be there as you woke up, but I'm here now, and I can help you."

Link pushed himself a few inches from the wall so he could glance sideways at her earnest face. "You were. I heard… I heard your voice." His eyes were beginning to tear up as sweat gathered on his brow and rain helped it descend in small rivulets.

_Open your eyes. Open your eyes, Link._

She was why he was even alive, wasn't she? Impa and Purah had said she was the one to pull him to the shrine and the one to activate it, leaving behind her slate for his future use, which he could have never survived without… He sighed in pain and rested his head back against his arm.

Zelda averted her eyes, not wanting Link to feel embarrassed. "I'm glad you could feel my presence. It was all I could manage while locked in combat with Ganon." It was still a shock to hear him speak, but she liked his voice and hoped if she didn't comment she might hear it more.

Another steadying breath, and he pushed off from the wall's support and began to walk back to the entrance, looking to her solemnly and offering a hand. She accepted it, and squeezed gently. Seeing the Great Fairies was worth their time as much as Zelda had insisted it was a needless delay. She couldn't bare to see Link in such drawn out pain, and pressing against her own chest that hadn't stopped burning since she unleashed Hylia's sealing power, she admitted to herself that it was essential for her as well.


	5. Side Quest: Ready to Roll

They made it to Proxim Bridge by around noon, off to a late start. It was a windy day, but the skies were clear. Link brought Kumo, a light colored horse with a white dapple, to a walk and looked over to Zelda who followed his lead with Robin. 

She raised an eyebrow at his decision to stop, though her expression became a little worried as she thought of last night's brush with fainting.

"Everything okay?" she called over, and she didn't realize she was holding her breath until he nodded back. "Then why are we stopping?"

Link pointed to the cooking pot that he'd marked in his slate many moons ago. While he'd traded a beetle to beedle for some curry they could share last night, they hadn't had any breakfast this morning. Dueling Peaks Stable's cooking pot wasn't covered and was still wet as they were heading out that morning. This pot was under a makeshift roof and its bed of coals would take right to fire no problem.

Zelda placed a hand on her stomach and had to admit food sounded great. Leading Robin off to the side of the road, she dismounted and asked," What are we making? How can I assist?"

Link cupped both hands and clapped them together twice while alternating direction to indicate rice balls. That sounded good, no matter the flavor, Zelda decided. Back when they used to travel together for her studies and prayer, they used to bring rice balls for midday snacks, though being castle made meant they were a bit more gourmet than was necessarily traditional.

She took his silent instruction well, getting water for the rice and cutting the mushrooms he'd gathered yesterday in a mincing technique he shared. He walked her through rinsing the rice, bringing it to a boil, letting it fluff up and become sticky as he forced it to cook longer than she would have thought it should but over very light heat.

Zelda followed suit as he wet his hands with fresh, cold water, and salted them, then with prepped hands, delved into scooping rice and shaping it into rounded triangles. He corrected her technique a few times, encouraging her to grow the peak of the triangle with her bottom hand and to rely and repetition to secure the rice together rather than brute force to pack it.

This certainly wasn't a gourmet meal with finely grilled truffles and béarnaise drizzled over, but it was nostalgic and of decent composition, and Zelda was starving.

"Wow, I never knew you could cook," she commented. "The way you sauteéd those mushrooms was amazing." Zelda was almost through her second rice ball, having devoured the first without taking the time to properly appreciate it.

Link shrugged, unsure if he knew how to cook before his centurial slumber. All he really knew was that her father had taught him how to roast apples by the campfire, and he had no idea of how to unpack that story as a light tale before heading out for more travel, so he dogeared that story for another time.

They wrapped the two remaining rice balls from the batch they'd made for a later snack and with a silent look into each other's eyes, confirmed they were ready to carry on with their journey. 

Robin and Kumo's footsteps echoed eerily on the derelict bridge, and Zelda looked sadly at the damage that had befallen her realm in the many years she'd been absent. East Post was little more than a handful of stone arches and flags faded of color.

She didn't have time to dwell on this as Robin spooked beneath her and she was almost bucked off. Zelda looked to Link, trying to figure out what was causing such commotion when she saw a glowing red mark with a hissing upcurrent closing in on her. Her question of what that could possibly be was answered by a menacing laugh, which brought her gaze to a person of frightening stature, cloaked in red and wearing the inverted sheikah symbol on a white mask.

Kumo was nowhere to be seen, and Zelda wondered where Link could be, then she saw him come up from behind her and clap Robin's flank and scream, "Yah!"

Zelda's heart leapt from her chest as Robin took off galloping so suddenly she was almost left behind. She looked back to Link as he avoided the Yiga Clan member's strike at the last second, and rushed in with a feircesome strike of his own. 

This put him in close enough range that his opponent easily sliced through the air, and while a grazing hit, the winds that curled around the blade threatened to rend meat from bone. Link didn't stay down despite how clearly that strike hurt, and instead kipped up to his feet and pulled out his bow. Within a breath of his feet touching ground, Link loosed an arrow that seemed to split into three separate missiles, and the barrage struck his opponent perfectly between their covered eyes.

Pulling on her reins to urge Robin to circle back immediately, she watched as the clan member sank to one knee and hastily disappeared, their sword and some bananas being left behind. 

Dismounting and running to Link's side, she helped support him as he seemed ready to teeter over. "Are you okay?"

He looked to her with an expression of not understanding, and she tried to gauge if his eyes were focusing correctly. As she whispered his name, his eyes hardened and then closed in pain. Link held up a hand to indicate he was fine, but if Robin hadn't come up to his other side as he pushed away from her, he would have fallen.

"You're injured," Zelda said, her tone a little harsh as she continued," You can't endlessly put yourself in danger's way."

He frowned and she noticed how his hands fidgeted and his mouth pressed tight like he had something to say, but looked away and sighed. He whistled for Kumo to return, and Robin also looked to him at attention.

Her eyes downcast, Zelda muttered," Let's make it to a good spot to rest for the night." 

They made fast time, pushing their horses to gallop as much as they would tolerate, and made all the way to Outskirt Stable without so much as acknowledging each other. Link stopped to pick some rushrooms and Zelda wanted to chide his reckless behavior, climbing sheer rock face to pick some mushrooms when he'd just been hurt in battle, but she was still angry that he was risking his life for hers and embarrassed she needed saving.

It was very dark once they reached Outskirt Stable, and Zelda felt sleep pulling at her eyes. Trott stabled their horses for them, and Link headed to a bespectacled man inside. She watched curiously as he sold the bananas and rushrooms he'd scavenged that day, as well as their leftover rice balls.

Her stomach growled, and she selfishly hoped that wasn't all their food he was selling, but he was able to make the sixty rupees that Enbry would request for two beds as well as pocket some spare change. The man held out a fire arrow temptingly, but Link shook his head and held one hand up.

She sat by the cooking pot as he took care of getting their beds for the night, idly poking at the fire. Zelda never expected saving Hyrule to be easy, nor did she ever think that what came next would be any easier. Knowing this was expected, however, also didn't make it less frustrating. The Blizzard Rod still hung at her hip, but she hadn't thought to use it, nor was she even prepared to, when that Yiga Clan member had attacked earlier. 

Zelda looked up and welcomed Link to the fire as he approached, but let her eyes fall back to the flames shortly thereafter. They sat quietly, enjoying the crackling sound of a strong fire. Just as Zelda was about to ask what their plan for food was, Link pulled out some apples out of a satchel he'd grabbed from Kumo and began hashing a stick through the base of the fire to draw some coals out to the edge of the stone ring, away from any licks of flame.

Also from the satchel came a thin, flat stone that had been shaped roughly to have a bit of a dip in the center so nothing rolled off. He placed the apples on the stone dish, then looked to Zelda meaningfully.

"Apples?" Her eyes grew misty and nostalgic. "My father used to love apple desserts."

Link nodded and Zelda tilted her head curiously. He remembered her father?

"He… taught me to cook." Link pointed at the slowly baking apples. Speaking was so hard for him. He usually could get bye with gestures and sentences that were three words long. The princess never asked him to speak, but she expressed so much he felt he owed her some reciprocity with how much he'd forgotten. "When I woke up."

"Oh, I, um…" Zelda went back to poking at the fire, careful not to spill flaking bark into their dish of cooking apples. It was still a surprise when Link spoke, but that most of his words had been such big statements might have helped further surprise. "He really liked you, you know? He felt that keeping us together would help me unlock my powers since you had been chosen. You were always an exemplary swordsman and quick with puzzles."

Link scratched the back of his head, both embarrassed by the praise and thinking to himself that the king had not seen his attempt to travel through Vah Naboris's maze of an inside. He busied himself with checking on the apples rather than acknowledging her compliment.

"Um, I've been thinking…" Link looked up to her as she trailed off. "Would you teach me to fight with a sword?"

Link pointed to himself skeptically, but Zelda shook her head. "You're the best swordsman in the land and someone I trust more than you can know. I… I never want to feel useless in a fight again." She looked to her hands as if they were different than before.

"Without my magic… If I should ever lose my magic again… I want to be able to defend myself. I want to feel confident I can." Link placed his hand over her wrist gently and nodded. Smiling as tears gathered in her eyes, Zelda abandoned the stick she'd been playing with and covered his hand with hers, grateful for his dedication she hadn't always appreciated.

"I loved research, and I was good at it, but even that had to take a backseat to my endless prayer. I was devout, but nothing would wake my sealing powers, and we had so little time to waste. I don't blame my father for denying me to seek out passions and learn how to fend for myself—the world was at stake and as much as I resented it, I needed all that time solely for prayer—but now I feel helpless."

She lifted her hand to rub at her eyes, refusing to let this simple night discussing the good her father did for the world to be her next time she cried. "I just… I can't cook, I can't fight, my research is a hundred years out of date… And I'm not ready to be queen." She covered her face suddenly, jarring Link away, as she failed to keep her tears at bay.

It was by no means a sob, but tears did flow quietly down her cheeks as she bent over and let her cloud of yellow hair hide herself. Gentle arms embraced her, and she leaned into Link gratefully. "I'm sorry I'm a mess," she sniffled.

His only response was to sympathetically rub her back and place his chin on her head. He'd be by her side through anything, tears included.


	6. Main Quest: Captured Memories - Updated

They'd left their horses at Gerudo Canyon Stable and decided to walk the rest on foot. They'd made some money on selling fish that Link caught and various mushrooms Zelda collected. It was getting pretty hot once they reached the stable already, so he'd suggested they change clothes. He'd given Zelda his voe pants and headband, which would offer enough resistance to the desert heat for the small journey they'd be taking, and his climbing gear shirt to offer her a sleeveless shirt with some modest. Thinking ahead to how cold it got at night, he gave her the warm doublet once more, and she tied it at her waist. 

Link wore his sapphire circlet that Tera had leveled up herself, and donned his sand boots. With the magically powered chill the circlet offered, he could wear his snowquill jacket no problem, even in the sweltering heat. He kept a few supplies in a pack, but this leg of the journey would be so short compared to most of their travels, that he didn't feel the need to bring much else other than the Thunder Helm.

They both carried a radiant shield on their back and a sword, the Master Sword for Link and the windcleaver for Zelda, at their hip. He gave her a forest dweller's bow, figuring that they could make up for practice for the time being with a bow that offered shrapnel damage. As for himself, he carried the ancient bow that he had sold almost all of his belongings for, adamant he'd get more use than the two guardians he'd needed to take out with it.

Leaving midmorning meant they easily reached Kara Kara Bazaar by noon, and both looked around fondly, unaware they were reminiscing about similar things.

"Remember when we came to see Urbosa—" Zelda blushed as she realized her folly. "S-sorry, I meant…"

Link shook his head and pointed at a particular bank of the oasis, then held up his sheikah slate and used his other hand to simulate an explosion near his temple. After the curious look he got, Link expounded by clicking through his slate and bringing up the picture she'd taken all those years ago, then showed her.

She looked over to the spot the picture had been of and back to the slate. It was hard to recall exactly what had happened the particular day that picture had been snapped. She could certainly guess what big memory she would have paired with the Kara Kara Bazaar, but it probably didn't work like that. 

She was ever curious, so she asked," What do you remember?"

He pointed to the windcleaver at her belt and held up his usual shield arm in the bracing stance he'd taught her the day before.

Her curious expression warmed with a gentle smile, and she looked down to her twining fingers as she admitted," I was kind of hoping you were going to say that." 

That day was the perfect example of what had annoyed her for so long—her needing someone to protect her—but it wasn't him defending her and scaring off the Yiga Clan members of which she was reminiscing. It was the moment directly after, when he knelt down beside her and offered a hand up, with the most gentle look in his eyes, wanting to know if she, Zelda, not the princess was okay.

Turning her back so she could look at the Bazaar, and more importantly hide her blush from Link, Zelda fidgeted with her high ponytail and smoothed her hair in its gentle cascade over her shoulder for something less incriminating to keep her hands busy. With a bracing exhale, she looked back and asked," Should we start towards the city? You wanted to return the Thunder Helm as soon as possible, right?"

Link held a thumbs up and the two of them began the long, sweltering journey from Kara Kara Bazaar to Gerudo Town.

He'd kept the sand boots since, while unlikely now that Ganon's monsters had been banished, if they were attacked he wanted full mobility to face their attacker. He vascilitated between feeling it was the right course of action and feeling guilty as he saw just how much better of a pace he could keep without breaking a sweat. If they'd only had a little more time to prepare her martial skills, he would have let her don the sand boots, no question.

Zelda had been a good student so far, he was pretty sure. He may not have any experience teaching—remembered experience, anyways—but she focused on the techniques he showed her, noting the small changes in grip that would speed up paries and lunges. She had been more likely to berate herself for dropping form at the wrong moment that he'd been.

He still took his role as protector seriously though, and no matter the encouraging progress she quickly made, she'd only been holding a sword for two days. Appeasing her ego and letting her be injured to a desert beast would do no one any good.

It was a slow trek on foot, which gave plenty of time for both of them to think. 

"Hey, Link, can I see my sheikah slate?" She'd left it with him since he knew the places they were going better than she did, but an idea just occurred to her about what locations _she_ knew better.

He unclipped the slate and handed it over, interested in what she wanted to use it for. Half the time in the desert it became a useless hunk of stone as a desert storm raged through, but she probably knew that with how well she seemed to know Urbosa.

The patience he lacked in life, pushing from one goal or task to the next, he made up for in conversation. As Zelda became engrossed with the changes he'd made to her artifact, he looked around and took in the peaceful day around them.

Finally, Zelda showed him what she had been thinking of. "Did any other photos spark your memory? Which of them have you sought out?"

Link looked over and tapped the few he'd been to. The picture of the horse statue, which he'd actually taken a picture of himself with Robin in front of as well, and the broken columns. Then, clicked on and opened the beautiful image of the Spring of Power. Making eye contact with her, he summed up "those four" with a raised hand and spread out fingers.

Zelda scanned the images for a few more seconds, then brought up the map with well over eighty stamps and asked," And where is the Great Fairy Fountain we're headed to after this one?" She held back for him to easily select what he wanted, and he highlighted the crystal stamp just south of Nero Hill, next to Piper Ridge.

"Why do you have double stamps on things? What does leaf-star mean? Is it different that star-leaf?"

He shrugged. It didn't exactly have a specific translation, but it meant something to him. He'd been disappointed when the slate capped him at a measly hundred stamps and had to go back and prune some of his double stamps.

She let his noncommittal answer go with a frustrated hum and squinting of her eyes, but composed herself and continued," We're heading back to Outskirt Stable before traveling to Tabantha, right?" Receiving a positive answer she nodded to herself and said," Okay, good. Why don't we visit Lake Kolomo before heading to see her? It's only a half a day out of the way."

This offer surprised Link, since she had resolutely been focused on getting through this quest and getting back to her people as soon as possible. He desperately wanted any memory he might recover though, so he enthusiastically nodded.

"And the last fairy…" He pointed out Tarrey Town for her, which was close enough. "Eldin Canyon. We could visit Eldin Canyon."

The big smile that lit his face was contagious, and she laughed. "Once this whole fairy business is over. Why don't we seek out those other pictures?" She held out her hand to him without thinking, then was startled as he took it. Twining their fingers, both awkwardly looked ahead, not wanting to acknowledge and possibly interrupt the moment.


	7. Side Quest: Dashing Appearances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love y'all so much. Thank you for the kudos and bookmarks. Nothing is more motivating that hearing from your audience <3

As they neared Gerudo town, Link's focus seemed to dull, his eyes nervously darting from cactus to melon patch and creating as many delays as it seemed he possibly could to harvest fruits or catch lizards instead of arrive at their destination. 

It started out with small detours, and Zelda assumed he was just trying to ensure they had enough to sell to keep up with any supplies they might need.

Then they were backtracking to find a cactus he missed.

Then they were heading in completely random directions and not even finding any voltfruit bearing cacti at the end of the detour to justify the added walking.

"Link? Is something wrong?"

Link looked over his shoulder, back to the princess he was dragging through a desert, with a guilty expression. He shrugged, but couldn't maintain eye contact.

"What is it?"

Link busied himself with checking the sheikah slate as if he needed directions. The town was quite visible to the naked eye.

Wiping the sweat that had began to gather on her brow, Zelda sighed. "Maybe if you let me know what's bothering you, I can help. It would beat walking any further in this desert heat."

Biting his lip, he began to undo the clasps that kept his snowquill jacket in place, and meekly shrugged it off, revealing the vai top that daintily rested on his chest. The armbands had gotten a little skewed under such a tight coat, and he righted them to the proper placement without a second thought.

Zelda didn't get what he meant by this and scrutinized his behavior, trying to find what could be the problem. She almost yelped and held a hand up to stop as he began to unbutton his pants, though the striking purple design underneath assured her he had yet more clothing beneath. Her momentarily startled expression became incredulous. He wore all of that in _this_ heat?

Taking some cloth slippers and a mask from his pack, he finished his ensemble, drawing the veil across his nose with his eyebrows brought together in shame.

"You…" And it dawned on her that he had never followed her into the city before, always allowing Urbosa to take over guardianship and waiting with a bowed head and rigid stance outside the city gates. "…have to dress as a girl to get into the city?"

She received a timid nod.

"Well, a hundred years have passed and you've just saved the whole world. You don't have to dress up like that to accompany me in—"

He shook his head and held out his arms to either side to show how cute the outfit was.

Zelda opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say, then took in how body language had changed from feeling cute to once more ashamed. Embarrassed. Guilty.

"You like them," she ventured, and he sadly nodded. "You just wish you didn't have to pretend to be a woman. You didn't have to lie…"

A stronger nod, now making eye contact and eyebrows raised searchingly. He was worried what her opinion might be.

Sighing sadly and placing her hands on her hips, she said," Then that settles it. Wear what you want, and we will demand to see the chief on our terms. That shade of teal really brings out your eyes."

Link teared up, though blinked the tears away as he stowed the mask and elatedly grabbed his topaz earrings out instead and began to don them.

Thinking back to the power that the pictures she'd thoughtlessly snapped a hundred years ago had ended up wielding, she suggested," Let's take a picture of us together."

⁂

They approached the central gate to the city proudly, Zelda's hair and pants in typical voe garb along with the more masculine cut of the climbing shirt, and Link wearing his vai clothing but with topaz earrings instead, which he'd always wanted to after buying them.

"Halt! No voe may enter our city."

Zelda looked up to the guard unflinchingly, despite being easily almost three feet shorter. "This is my royal guard, Link, who has ended the calamity that threatened our world by turning our sacred beasts against us. You speak to Queen Zelda, rightful ruler of Hyrule and she who bears the goddess's blood," Zelda said with regal rigidity, not blinking once during her delivery.

"Pardon me, 'Queen' Zelda," the guard said, not seeming particularly concerned. "But the law is the law. No voe may enter our sacred city. Tradition has stood the test of time, unlike—"

Her fellow guard elbowed her and she shut up. Link glared at the guard who'd done the speaking, hackles slightly raised as he guessed her next words would have been to the affect of "your castle".

"That is fine, but I will be speaking to your chief with my guard at my side," Zelda coldly informed her.

All but rolling her eyes, the guard sighed and said," I will convey your message, but I doubt she will leave her throne on the account a guard unwilling to learn his place and let his princess enter our secure city."

"Thank you for informing—"

"Chief Riju," Link supplied in her ear as discreetly as he could manage.

"—Chief Riju of Queen Zelda, Lady Urbosa's close friend, and her guard, Champion Link, of their arrival."

She stood in place and stared expectantly as she waited for the guard to leave and tell Chief Riju of their presence. She returned, looking flustered as she delivered the summary announcement.

It was decided that a formal meal would be held in the princess's and champion's honor—outside of the city—the following morning, and Zelda could live with that. Looking to her guard, the Hero of Hyrule, and the pleasant if nostalgic smile on his face, she assumed he could too.

⁂

Staying the night in a nearby watchtower wasn't as comfortable as staying the night at a stable, but it wasn't much less, honestly. It had given Zelda time to make herself look as royal as she could manage with few supplies and in the middle of a desert, but she was happy with how she looked, trading her climbing shirt for the sheikah stealth chest guard Link owned with the Hylian surcoat from his royal guard armor over top, cinched with a golden chain from his voe spaulder set.

She almost wondered if his hoarding and insistence on carrying any and all clothing he might need wasn't hindering his healing. The pain she kept breathing through assured her that it wasn't the only cause, and if they could get to the Great Fairies sooner than later, he could go back to his crazy habits of carrying a whole ecosystem in his backpack if he so wished.

Sighing and straightening out her foreign clothes, Zelda said," Let us go partake in my first royal meal as queen."

She fidgeted with her hair piece once more, not used to the style and afraid she might have done it wrong.

Taking in her worried brow as she played with her hair yet again in the hour they'd been awake, Link put his hands on the back of a chair and pulled it out for her, looking to her expectantly.

Raising one brow but following his lead, she sat down in front of him and wasn't too surprised as he pulled out all of her hard work. With no mirror, she wasn't too heartbroken that her hairdo she'd spent nearly all morning on was being let out.

She closed her eyes and relaxed as he began to pull his fingers through her hair to part it and separate certain sections out. 

His fingers deftly pulled her hair into various plaits, a standard gather-as-you-go braid across the center of her head, with the tight braids lining her temples and guiding the gathered braid to the crown of her head. The first few links of the braid waterfalled to frame her face with a bit of gathered hair from underneath, elegantly laying over her shoulders in a style she was much more accustomed. 

The rest of her hair was drawn up in simple reversed braid to bring all but the tufts of hair near her temples to a high ponytail that he secured with the Gerudo styled clasp. He used his snowquill ties to add two decorative small braids down the voluminous waterfall of hair and secure a Silent Princess at the top. He stepped back one step and snapped a photo. It was a little blurry since she turned her head to look at him curiously, but he smiled and showed her his work.

"What-Wow! You did that?" She laughed at herself for the question with such an obvious answer. "Where did you learn to braid like that?"

He swiped through his photos until he found the one Koko had taken of Coletta playing with his hair on a quiet day in Kakariko. When he'd found out the two little girls had lost their mother, he'd started to make sure they were okay and agree to their silly requests whenever he passed through Kakariko. When the two girls had asked to play hairdresser, he'd made sure to learn a few braiding styles before passing through Kakariko again.

"It's gorgeous, Link. Thank you." She couldn't look away from the cute picture until Link retracted the slate and brought up the map screen, pointing to the time in the bottom left corner. "You're right. We should be going. We're pushing a little uncomfortably to on time."

As she stood, she hugged him, wishing there was a way to say how grateful she was he had such a kind soul without sounding silly. Out of all the guards who could have been chosen by the Master Sword and assigned to be her personal guard, she was so glad it had been Link and that he'd stood by her through her early bouts of frustration.

Link hadn't expected the display and awkwardly lifted his hands and shyly returned the hug. 

"Link, you've always been wonderful to me," she whispered. "I'm sorry—"

His hands moved to her shoulders and gently pushed her away so they could make eye contact. Then he closed his eyes and shook his head lightly. From what he could remember and what he'd read, she had a lot of pressure on her shoulders, and she'd had that pressure placed when she was so very young.

When he opened his eyes once more, she was looking to him sadly. He was confused, so he smiled. His heart skipped a beat as she smiled back.

"Let us go. You have a sacred artifact to return."

With an enthusiastic nod, Link set out with the queen by his side, ready to support her through combat and diplomacy alike.

The short walk to the ceremonial feast was thankfully a decent temperature at this time of day, which was a sign of the goddess's favor when they were dressed to impress as they were.

It seemed like most of the town had gathered outside, formal cloths set out to sit upon with low tables set to eat at and decorated with lavish golden utensils. Zelda found it kind of comforting that Gerudo culture had lost none of its lavish zeal in the century she'd been gone. Every Gerudo woman wore plentiful gold jewelry and several gifts had been presented to her that consisted of small jeweled baubles and bracelets, well weighted swords with jewels in their golden pommels, and pauldrons—obviously, golden—that were more ornamental than functional.

Link had also been given a few gifts, though not in the same regal presentation as she had. A young girl had brought him wildberries, which he graciously accepted with a big smile. An old woman had brought him a nice cologne, but he'd prepared a flower for her before she even grabbed the gift she brought out of her satchel, making her fan herself giddily. A young woman with her husband tagging along brought him a custom hemmed cloak for desert nights—a soft pink that worked wonderfully with his teal ensemble—and began crying with tears of joy as he inquired as to the health of her husband.

Zelda marveled at his mysterious talent for helping so many people during his journeys and leaving such an impression on so many lives. In their slightly lowered station from Chief Riju's palanquin, opened on the side to her people, she could see the distraction the chief had as she ate, glancing up to Link admiriously.

The Gerudo and their chief's guests ate quietly, partaking in simmered hydromelon, flavored with wildberries and saffina, gourmet meat topped with a voltfruit glaze, and a succulent fruit pie. The meal was lavish as Zelda expected.

Chief Riju stood after a spell of pleasurable eating and presenting gifts to the honorable guests. Clearing her throat and dispelling the momentary look of doubt that crossed her face, she raised her voice and began to recite a well practiced speech.

"Sav'otta, my people. We gather today to welcome the long estranged Queen Zelda and her knight, Champion Link, after their hundred year war, and victory over, Calamity Ganon. Many of you may not know that this champion has also been a hero to you.

"Not only did this voe calm the storm in the heart of Vah Naboris, he has seen to the needs of so many vai and vaba that we honorably entrusted the Thunder Helm to him on his mission to vanquish Calamity Ganon. Of which, we could only be humbly fortunate to conclude played a roll fit to change the tides of battle, just as our honorable Champion Urbosa did by pledging her life to pilot the ancient beast of old and weaken Ganon so the Princess, now Queen, of Hyrule could keep his malicious influence out of our realm.

"So too should we acknowledge the efforts of this vai of whom faced off against Calamity Ganon in single combat since the falling of her personal friend, our Chief Urbosa, so that our champion's departure be not in vain. She has proven herself a true warrior, worthy to the comparison of our Seven Heroines.

"Queen Zelda of Hyrule, She Who Bears the Blood of the Goddess, Warrior Who Wields Magic, She Who Opposed Calamity Ganon, and her knight, Champion Link, Hero of Hyrule, He Who Opposed Calamity Ganon, Friend of the Gerudo People, please find yourselves welcome at this feast in your honor."

Riju curtsied, holding one open hand to her guests, which brought the expected applause from the vai of Gerudo Town. The heads of the Gerudo people turned to Zelda and Link, and Link couldn't remember a time in his life so many people had all looked at him at once. His stomach flopped, and he hadn't even realized Riju had said more until Zelda was reaching over and lifting at his elbow for him to rise with her.

He could hear nothing but the pumping of blood in his ears, like traveling up a cascade at breakneck speed. And his hands were moving. He didn't realize it until he saw Zelda's eyes drop to his hands.

She pulled him up to his feet but took a step forward so everyone's gaze followed her. Link felt better as he saw focus leave him, and with a few wits about him, he fished out the Thunder Helm and held it forward.

"Good women of the Gerudo Empire and friends, I thank you for this feast. Though Hyrule Kingdom has fallen, it will rise again, but only by the strength of its friendships we have forged over the years with such valiant domains as yours.

"The champion, Link, Hero of Hyrule, presents you your sacred artifact, the Thunder Helm, once worn by my close friend, Lady Urbosa, and now the rightful helm of Chief Riju, She Who Ruled during the Calm Storm, a leader who has eschewed her childhood to do right by her people. She graciously lent him this powerful item of protection to save him from mortal strikes as he stormed the ruined castle I chained Calamity Ganon to. Without her noble sacrifice, we would not stand where we currently do.

"It is with great thanks and dignity that we return it to your chief, a pillar of strength and selflessness. While we as a people have little to offer in the wake of our grueling war, we would like to invite you, Chief Riju, and your town, to a festival, one year from today, in honor of your great gift to my kingdom."

With her speech finished, Zelda reached back to take the helm from Link, and presented it to the royal guard that was approaching her. She bowed her head as she relinquished the ancient artifact.

"We thank you, the great Gerudo People, for your help in ending our war. This debt will never be forgotten." 

With the formal ceremony of giving back the Thunder Helm, a good meal, and furthering of a renewed bond between two people, they were ready to set out for their second Great Fairy.


	8. Main Quest: Great Fairy's Blessing, Picking Up on Good Vibrations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the support, y'all! Thinking of posting and getting a comment or kudos is so motivating, and I can't believe how much I've written in the last month. The next chapter might take a little longer since I am now in full swing of running two TTRPG campaigns and I'm also working on my Magic: The Gathering long running fic (which is now 100k+ and continues its blend of fantasy time travel mechanics and sarcastic banter), but I plan to have another chapter up for this story next week, probably around Wednesday. Look forward to hearing from y'all :)

While early afternoon certainly wasn't the best time to head out on a journey in the desert, upon short consultation they decided they didn't want to delay too much longer. They had to clothing to survive the weather extremes of the desert, and Zelda had a people to get back to.

As the gathering dissipated, Zelda tried to ask him about his freezing up, and his answer was to excitedly point to some sand seals and hold his shield up with a grin. Zelda had never sand seal surfed, though she was familiar with the concept. She refused to back down from a challenge however, and she shook her head with a sigh and tentatively began to sneak up on the pair of sand seals with Link.

She decided his early success was thanks to his sand boots, which she had discovered let him more easily walk in the sand from the get go. Nonetheless, she wasn't far behind as her hands found leverage on the harness most sand seals were outfitted in, and she dropped her shield to the sand and latched her foot as she'd seen Link do. Her heart was in her throat as the seal bucked and began pulling her behind at a speed that equaled what Robin reached after several encouragements.

Zelda's need to seem a calm and collected leader flew out of her mind as the wind whipped past her face, and she couldn't help but whoop in glee. Link waved to her, and she smiled back, though she didn't dare go one handed.

They flew through the dunes that outlined West Barrens, catching air and landing hard enough that Zelda bitterly mused she'd feel it in her knees tomorrow. The elation that came with those few seconds where she and her seal were airbound were worth the inevitable pain she might begrudge later.

She looked to her knight, her laughter subsiding and face dropping to concern as a dark look took his face. "Link, is everything—"

He let go of his seal and held his hands out, most likely trying to signal she should do the same. She fumbled but let go, standing stock still as he now was.

A dreadful rumbling sounded all around, and Zelda looked to Link wide-eyed, but he softly shook his head before resuming his impression of a statue. The largest flesh and blood creature Zelda had ever seen erupted from the sand in a violent fight against gravity as a bird landed in the sand unwittingly.

Her stomach flopped, and it took her all not to emote as she looked to Link who had still not moved. They were in a danger she could not fathom.

Rumbling continued, but through exchanged looks with Link, she knew she shouldn't move despite her brain screaming, _run away_. Over time, the need to bolt subsided and fell to more mundane thoughts such as her nose that had begun to itch. After a particularly boring half hour of him looking pointedly away, she asked," How are you doing?"

His response was brusque, but so was the potentially dangerous beast that almost subsumed them. He tried to reply with a physical response, but its motion drew attention from the mulduga, so he relented and sighed. Her speech did not seem to draw the same fashion.

"Was that Zora hand sign?" She had recognized the careful maneuvers of his hand, but not known the meaning. "You know, earlier, when you…"

Link bristled and looked away.

"I don't mean to press you. I just saw you didn't like the attention today."

He frowned, disliking the idea he couldn't be accommodating of any need she might face.

"You really do so much. It's okay for me to have a few spaces in which I excel," Zelda said a little wryly.

Begrudgingly, he let his eyes drift back to her. Link felt silly; he could face down the incarnation of dread and malice, but a crowd of fifty people looking at him had left his stomach in knots.

"I could learn Zora hand sign," Zelda continued smoothly," If that was what your hands were doing. It looked familiar, but I don't know sign language myself."

Link didn't know he did, which felt kind of funny to think upon. He had only known that he could understand the presence in his mind as he woke, and later that he could converse with others as he went on. He'd never sat down and dwelled on the fact that he could speak the common tongue.

If his only memory of Mipha was anything to go on, he had spent a lot of time in the Zora Domain, and it made sense that if he spent enough time in the water with her for Mipha to craft his chest piece for him that he would have picked up at least some sign language to communicate underwater.

Many minutes passed, and both watched the sand shift for the heft of the mulduga running lazy circles around them. 

Link waited impatiently, knowing he could take out the beast with his sheikah slate if need be, but not wanting to put his princess—_queen's_—life at risk needlessly. He wasn't good at standing still. Since he'd been woken from his hundred year slumber, he'd rarely been still for longer than it took to pray at a statue of the Goddess.

When the Mulduga finally moved on, Link nodded and let out a heavy sigh. He waved a hand in the direction they needed to walk, which of course was towards a dune that immediately needed cresting. Trudging up the dune was a lot less fun than surfing, and in the late afternoon, it was even worse. 

Teeth chattering as the night sky began to peek through, Zelda motioned for them to stop and grabbed her jacket out of Link's pack. "Do you want yours too?" She handed him the Rito coat as he nodded, and he set the pack down to slip it on.

Tentatively, he signed [Thank you] as the word popped into his head, and he voiced," Thanks."

Seeing her eyes light up as she copied the gesture, Link smiled and thought to himself that he apparently knew Zora sign.

"Are we close?"

Link bobbed his head side to side as he raised a hand noncommitally. They were closer to the fountain than they were the town.

Despite the cold that had settled over the desert, Zelda was beginning to sweat, the burning in her chest spreading as they trekked endlessly through the sand. She'd pushed through everything despite the weariness she'd felt since the end of their fight with Ganon, the days on horseback, the pomp and circumstance of a formal feast, and the sand surfing, but she had expended her reserves.

"I'm, um…" Zelda felt her chest heaving, but she felt lightheaded as if she hadn't taken a breath in minutes. "Link… I…"

He looked over to Zelda and held out a hand to her as her steps faltered. Even with him reaching for her, she barely grabbed onto his hands in time before she lost her footing. "I'm afraid I… Can we rest for a moment?"

She started falling as she asked, and Link softened her descent, a look of concern across his face. As she sat down in the sand, she let go of his arm with one hand so she could clutch at her chest. "I can't breathe," she gasped.

"I can't…" She was wheezing.

Link felt helpless as he positioned himself around her so he held his queen in his arms, eyes taking in the fast and useless breathing. She was trying to speak, but as she had less and less air, she fell silent. At a loss for what he should do, he began to hum that special melody they'd shared a few mornings ago. 

The tune was slow and he rocked gently in time, cradling her and watching for any change. Tears gathered and threatened to spill over for both as them as he dutifully stayed beside her and hummed the song her mother had taught her ages ago. 

The corners of Zelda's world had long since ran fuzzy, but his face was crisp before her and his imploring eyes conveyed a small novel's worth of words, most prominently, _please don't leave me_. 

As he continued to hum, the burning in her chest faded, replaced with a soft warmth that was emboldening. She only broke eye contact as he seemed to have a torch held up to him and she scanned the sky with confusion for what could be casting that light.

He guessed her question and answered by placing a hand on her cheek. She raised her hand to encompass his, startled as she realized dumbfoundedly _she_ was glowing. She stared at her hand in awe until the light began to fade. 

"You saved my life," she muttered breathlessly, breathing returning to normal but not having caught up with her exhaustion yet. She moved to sit up on her own power, and Link let her go a little reluctantly, still watching with concern. "… Somehow." 

Link shrugged, not entirely sure what had happened. He'd seen her glow with Hylia's light during their fight with Ganon, but that sealing magic had been intense, leaving his vision full of streaking green lines. This light had been diffuse, warm like the last rays of sun dappling the world with color. 

"I never had much time to figure out my magic," she said quietly. "I slung spells with fervor as I fought Ganon, but I didn't have time to think on what else I could do save rein him back from trying to leave the castle." Her words seemed thunderous in her own ears in the quiet of the desert at night.

"Perhaps I have healing magic," Zelda thought aloud," Or for how entwined or fates are, you can heal me with my music." 

Link didn't honestly care how it happened right now, he was just relieved she was okay. He didn't mind her trying to puzzle together how it worked though if it put her mind at ease, and listening to her voice speak calmly comforted him after the gasping voice she'd had earlier. 

"I mean, obviously I don't want a repeat of whatever that was, but perhaps we can isolate pieces of what happened and study the results…" She abstractedly took his offered hand and stood. 

They walked the rest of the way to the fountain with little incident, of which Link was grateful. The glow of the fountain and its fairies was impossible to miss as they neared, and he smiled at the way Zelda's eyes sparkled upon seeing it. 

"Wow, so this is what a Great Fairy Fountain looks like," Zelda whispered mostly to herself as they approached the giant font. "I can't believe we traveled so much together and never stopped at a Fairy Fountain. There's four of them, right?"

Link was shrugging as he couldn't remember their travels together, then cut himself off to nod to the fact that there were four Great Fairies. It was a little strange for him to travel with someone who asked so many questions. He wondered if she used to talk to him so much before, remembering the ire he drew from her at first but also thinking of how inquisitive she'd always been.

Zelda laughed at his perplexed expression as he struggled to keep up with her conversation topics. "Sorry, I just feel almost buzzing with energy after that whole ordeal. I must be speaking a mile a minute." 

Link nodded in a "more or less" fashion, which earned him a laugh and consoling pat on the shoulder. 

"Do we go up together? Or separately?" 

Link shrugged some more, looking to her in a way to ask her opinion. She asked a lot of good questions. He'd found fountains on the request of others, but he'd never actually brought another with him. After that spell of breathlessness he witnessed Zelda go through, the last thing he wanted was to delay speaking to the Great Fairy, so he quickly made up his mind. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her to follow him and she nodded and ascended the mushrooms at his side. 

The golden decoration that encircled the great flower gleamed gently in Fairy Fountain's light, and as Tera's great hand sent water fluting through the air, it refracted the magical light like diamonds. 

"Hello, there," Tera enthusiastically sang out, only adding to how surreal the experience was for Zelda. "My sister said you'd be visiting soon! Pleasure to make your acquaintance, dear Zelda." 

She stood awestruck, staring up to the fairy, at a loss for words. Even if Link had described what she was about to see, she could have never been properly prepared for the glamor of a Great Fairy. 

"I'm Tera, Great Fairy of the Gerudo Desert." her eyes drifted to Link, and she winked. "As always, you're a sight for sore eyes. Mmm!"

Link could already feel his blush setting in and smiled sheepishly at the amused look Zelda sent his way. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise as Tera continued and mentioned her. "Not that you aren't a tall glass of water in this arid desert, either, hun." 

Zelda had never heard such a comment directed at her, nor had she expected she ever would, given her royal status. Great Fairies were beyond the means of mortals though, and Zelda guessed it was fair that they held themselves outside of mortal standards. 

"Oh dear, it looks like Cotera assumed wrong. You're just as easy to embarrass as our dear Link." Tera laughed as both Hylians reached being red in the face. 

"But enough having fun with the Heroes of Hyrule, let's get to that blessing," she said with a giggle, cracking her knuckles and rubbing her hands together a little excitedly. "Can you stand closer together?" 

They looked to reach other as they edged closer, elbows brushing and hands squeezing nervously. Zelda had never been blessed before, and it was a lot to take in. 

She looked back to Tera in time to see the giant woman blow a kiss at them, glittery magic passing over them and soaking into their being. That similar warmth from earlier briefly flared in her chest as Zelda felt reinvigorated. 

Link felt the warmth too, easing the burden that had felt like an elephant sitting on his chest whenever he tried to rely on his fortified stamina. 

"Thank you for your blessing, Great Fairy," Zelda whispered reverently. She bowed her head as she assured," You have the gratitude of the people of Hyrule—" 

"You don't need to act so demure around us, darling," Tera interrupted," Life's more fun if you don't!" 

"S-sure," Zelda acquiesced, though doubted she could really follow through. 

"This cutie knows what I mean," Tera said with another wink towards Link. 

He looked to his shoes and scratched his neck awkwardly, drawing a hearty laugh from the Great Fairy. 

"You don't get to be my age and look this great by worrying over your words. Of course, magic helps."

Zelda politely laughed along with Tera, who found herself hilarious. 

"It gets lonely in this desert, so don't make yourself a stranger, okay? I may be able to enchant your clothes if you bring me the right materials." 

Zelda nodded, thinking she would very much love to come back with a journal and pen. A Great Fairy had to have some fascinating stories.

"Well, I suppose I'll let you two lovebirds go. Come again soon!" She threw her hands into the air and sank back into her fountain with flourish. 

Link was used to such ostentatious goodbyes from his many visits to the Great Fairy sisters, and an amused smirk pulled at his lips as he saw Zelda's look of bewilderment. 

"Did—was… What was that?" 

He pulled her hand gently as he began descending the mushroom stairs. He remembered his first encounter with Cotera. It was a lot to process. 

"Was that a typical meeting with a Great Fairy?" 

Link nodded with a bit of a laugh. 

"I've never been spoken to so… Candidly. I, uh, was expecting a very different meeting." Zelda had thought that one so aged and wise as a Great Fairy would be a solemn encounter, dispensing sound advice and making her feel small in the presence of one so ancient. Instead, she felt small in the presence of such a loud personality.

Link nodded as he exhaled, thinking back to the expectations he'd had dashed after being asked to take a photo by Pikango. Then, thinking about how this was her first time visiting a fountain and what he'd learned over his many travels, he held up a hand to bring them to a stop and be silent.

Raising an eyebrow, Zelda did as instructed. He tugged his hand free and held both his hands out to either side, knuckles up and fingers curled. Stilling himself to the likes of one of the golden birds a top the fountain, a fairy lit upon his hand gingerly. 

Zelda gasped with wonder, almost scaring away the timid creature. Holding her hands out together, as if hoping to receive a present, she was delighted as a fairy dropped into her hands. "Hello, little friend," she whispered to the small fairy. Bringing the fairy close, she stared in wonder.

After what could have easily been minutes, she looked up to Link, whose smirk had settled into warm smile. "This is amazing. I never assumed I would have the opportunity to hold a fairy."

Link had long since tucked the fairy that landed on his hand into his pack, and apparently Zelda had missed him doing so. "What do you do once you catch a fairy? Should you set it down gently or—"

Link motioned to stuff it in a pocket, though lacked pockets in his light garment tailored for fashion over practicality.

Zelda giggled at this, until she realized he didn't intend it to be a joke. "You can't be serious," she said gravely.

Holding his hands up to either side, Link shrugged. They liked to travel, but got carried away by wind too easily to sit upon one's shoulder while on horseback or climbing to great heights.

"Really, you just—" She looked back to her fairy and gently asked," Do you want to come along? Do you mind being in my pocket?" The fairy's light brightened and dimmed a few times, a response of some sort that was even harder to interpret than Link's many different nods and shrugs. As the fairy folded their wings however, Zelda assumed the fairy really must not mind. She placed the fairy in her pocket, a look of worry on her face the whole time.

"They really don't mind?"

As Link's eyes crinkled with laughter, she herself giggled and said," Sorry. I'll stop asking."

With the glow of the other fairies around them and glitter still dusting her cheeks from the Great Fairy's blessing, Link suddenly found himself thinking that she didn't just look like she had blood of the goddess running through her veins, she looked divine in her own right. He shyly looked away, but he couldn't fight the giddy smile he bore.


End file.
